


It takes two to break a heart, three to mend it

by kittymannequin



Series: Avatar Femslash [1]
Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, Comfort, F/F, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Married Life, Trouble In Paradise
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-01
Updated: 2015-08-01
Packaged: 2018-04-12 10:51:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,361
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4476581
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kittymannequin/pseuds/kittymannequin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Avatar Femslash Week is upon us and here's my contribution! Today is Day One: August 1 ♥ Modern AU/Quote and I've chosen, oh surprise, a Modern AU! Enjoy!<br/>It's a bit angsty but it all gets better in the end. For some.</p>
            </blockquote>





	It takes two to break a heart, three to mend it

I’m not really certain how it got to this but I’m pretty sure it has something to do with the colour blue.

As I’m sitting in my office, five minutes before the appointment I’m supposed to have next, I’ve never been more nervous in my life. How could have this possibly happened to me? I’m a psychiatrist, for crying out loud!

“Miss Sato?” Your secretary’s voice comes from the phone and I press a button, answering.

“Yes?”

“The Izey couple are here, should I let them in?”

I take a long, deep breath and exhale slowly.

“Yes, let them in.”

I push myself up from the chair and stand on my slightly wobbly feet, straighten out my dress and take another deep breath, trying to calm my  nerves. They’re just clients. She’s just a client. A very pretty – no, gorgeous – dark-skinned, muscular and well built client. With fluffy chocolate hair – it has to be fluffy, it looks so damned fluffy – and the prettiest blue eyes I’ve ever seen. Little oceans.

Oceans that have become sadder and sadder with each session I’ve had with them.

They walk in and Zhu-Li closes the door behind them, I turn around, the fakest of smiles plastered on your face.

“Mr and Mrs Izey, welcome. How have you been today?”

The man, Mako, only grumbles and I already know it’s been a horrible day. His wife, Korra, is not even making eye contact with me and her posture is shaken, not like the usual woman I’ve seen come in here.

The Izey’s or the Grumble and the Beauty, as I love to call them in my head, have been coming into my marriage counselling agency for five months now. They’re quite a young couple, only been married for three years and by the looks of it, I’m not really sure as to _why_ exactly they got married. Not that it’s a very nice thing to think, especially not by a marriage counsellor.

“Okay. Let’s see, what have we on today’s agenda?”

Korra finally looks up and her ocean blue eyes meet mine and the view saddens me because they’re not ocean blue, not right now anyway. They’re a dark, sorrowful shade of blue and all the whiteness surrounding the blue seems to be blotched with red. She’s been crying, a lot. I almost walk over to her, I want nothing more than to put my arms around her and press her close to myself and just, just... hold her. But it’s not the way things go.

Mako’s looking to the side and being his usual, aloof self, but there is a lot of pretence in his behaviour and I know it so well. I’ve been taught all the possible tell-tale signs, I’ve studied people meticulously, and I know he’s on edge. On a very thin, very sharp edge. But I’m the marriage counsellor. I’m supposed to help them, not push them over the edge. No matter how much I really, really want to.

“I can’t...” Korra starts but stops herself, covering her mouth with her hand. A pained sob escapes her lips and I feel pain, literal pain in my chest because – Korra’s hurting.

“Korra, please, can you not?” Mako mumbles beside her and I really just want to slap him, hard, three or four times on seven to eight occasions.

“Can I- I n-not w-what?” Korra looks at him and speaks through her sobs and before I know it I’m walking over to her, but with the last semblance of morality I pick up the tissue box and kneel down in front of her, offering it. She turns to me and our eyes meet and there’s nothing but pain and sadness in what I remember being bright, blue irises the first time they came here.

“Mako, anything you want to tell Korra?” I ask as I move back to my desk and sit down, aware that if I keep standing, I will rush to her. At least, this way, there’s something, some sort of an obstacle between us.

“I’ve already said everything I wanted to, the past five months I’ve been saying, I really don’t know what else is there to say.” His voice is stingy, so cold and detached and I see Korra clutching her shirt at her chest as he speaks.

The first time they came here, it was just a minor thing, a clash of personalities which they were very well aware of. I helped them get through it and it was a piece of cake. The second time, it took a bit more time. This, now, is the twenty-fourth time they’re here and I’m reluctant to say I doubt there will be more times. I almost grin at the thought. What a horrible person I am. But... I’ve done everything I could. I even sent them to a different counsellor, a few actually, but they seem to be unwilling to work through things. Or, he seems so.

He loves her, that much is obvious. But even a complete stranger could tell it’s not really _love_. It’s just affection and gratitude and a lot of respect but, it’s not pure, genuine love. They’ve been through a lot together but I really, honestly wonder how and why they actually got married.

“Korra, can you vocalize your feelings for Mako? When you’ve settled down a bit?” I look at her and she’s seemingly a tiny bit calmer. At least she’s not sobbing anymore.

“I... I love you Mako. I really do, I love you more than I could ever imagined I’d love someone. The moment I met you I knew we had something so special that nothing else would matter, just us.” She stops, reaches for a tissue and dabs her damp cheek, taking deep breaths.

She is a fighter, I give her that.

“But I can’t go on like this.” She finally finishes and I take a sharp breath, leaning on my table.

“What do you mean Kor?” Mako asks, turning towards her, “Are you....?”

“I want to have a divorce.” Korra finishes his sentence for him and I find myself gaping at them, mouth wide open.

What?

I expected a fight, another long, painful session, him saying he’s too cold and he knows it, her saying she’s too demanding and she knows it. And me, being there, soothing them both into a loving little couple they are not. And crying myself to sleep afterwards. But this... this I did not expect.

“Korra.” I speak as I get up off my chair, “Are you certain of your words? That is a decision you cannot just take yourself.”

“I know.” She mumbles and another sob escapes her.

She’s still not over it and I see her wanting to fight but, she’s lacking the strength. She’s all drained up and has no more tears to cry.  I understand.

“Korra, we can, I-I will-“

“No Mako. You know it’s for the best.”

He glances at me, desperately and I try to offer a soothing, calming look and some sort of reassurance is expected to come from me but I have nothing. I can’t say anything more because there is nothing to be said.

“I...” He starts, looking back at her as he reaches out, wanting to pull her in but she steps away and out of his reach.

“Please, don’t. It hurts too much.” She mumbles.

“Mako, how about we take a little break, hm?” I manage to say something and walk over to them, placing my hand on his arm. “Please, sit down.”

Almost reluctantly he does, he takes the seat and sits down heavily.

So he can actually listen. And it’s definitely the most obedient I’ve seen him.

“Korra, will you please sit down as well?” I look at her and think about reaching out to her but I decide not to. She needs her space.

“Could we just call it a day and just... not talk anymore?” Korra mumbles and pulls away even further, walks over to a dresser and leans against it. “I don’t want to talk or think or act, I just want to stop hurting and this isn’t helping.”

I look over to Mako and he’s got a sadness in his eyes I’ve not seen before. Sure, there was an occasional sad glance, but mostly there was just fire and anger and rage. Uncompromising defiance.

He nods as our eyes meet and stands up.

“I’ll leave.” He mumbles and starts for the door.

“Mako-“

“No, Miss Sato, Korra is right.” He glances over his shoulder. “This has been coming for a long time and now we have to face it.”

Another pained sob comes from the other side and Korra’s dabbing her cheeks with a tissue again, and she looks so small and vulnerable and nothing like the woman I remember.

“I... I’ll be at my brother’s.” He says before leaving and shuffles out the door as they close slowly behind him.

I stare at the door, unable to move, and wondering what on earth I’m going to do now.

“I’m sorry we destroyed your record.” Korra mumbles from the side and I glance over, brows furrowed in confusion.

“Record?” I am genuinely confused and turn to look at her more carefully, forcing myself not to move an inch.

“Well you’re the only marriage counsellor in the city that’s never had a couple just... give up.” She moves away from the dresser and sits back down in her chair, her shoulders shaking from her ragged breaths and endless cries.

“Oh Korra,” I can’t help it. “Don’t... God, no, don’t think about that for a second, it’s not...”

“I’m j-just j-joking.” She stutters and looks up at me with tears brimming in her bloodshot eyes but a grin pulled across her lips.

I almost double over in laughter and my shoulders shake as I move to sit on the chair next to hers and want to scream in joy because, well, for the first time in months, Korra’s smiling again. Yes, it’s through tears and yes, she’s just decided that her marriage is over and there’s nothing anyone can do about it and really, there isn’t, but, she’s smiling.

And even if this day was a battle that could not have been won, _Korra’s smile_ is a victory I’m more than happy about.

 

* * *

 

 

“Szzznngh, the Turman’s?” I mumble in my sleep haze as the incessant ringing beside my head keeps on penetrating my dreams, intruding the only peace and quiet I ever get. I finally blink myself into a remotely awake state, glance over to the clock on the dresser and groan really loudly when I realize it’s two in the morning. That certainly explains the darkness _and_ the silence.

I reach out, grabbing my phone, slide a finger over the screen and pull it to my ear without bothering to look at the caller ID.

“Hmm?” I hum into it sleepily.

“Miss Sato?”

The familiarity of the voice stirs me from my slumber in a matter of seconds and as I try to sit up, fumbling in my covers and the darkness of my room I manage to slip and fall down on the floor with a loud thud and an ‘ _ouuuch’_ escaping my lips.

“Miss Sato, are y-... are you okay?” The woman on the other side speaks with nervousness in her voice.

“Y-yeaaaah, I just, I fell out of bed.” I mentally slap myself because, really, why Asami, why?

“Oh god, fuck, I woke you up, shit, I’m so sorry Miss Sato, god, oh fuck I knew I should have waited till the morning but I really wanted to call you and ask you ou—“ She stops and there’s a loud smacking sound which I presume can only be a slap over the mouth.

“It’s Asami.” I gain some of my confidence back and voice the words slowly.

“Huh?”

“My name, Korra. It’s Asami.” I speak and a giggle escapes me at the end of the sentence. “You don’t have to call me Miss Sato, you’re not my client anymore.”

“Oh. Oh yeah, ya, that makes sense.” She clears her throat and there’s a few seconds of startling silence but then she continues. “So, um. Miss S- I mean, uh, Asami. Yeah, Asami, I...”

“Yes, Korra? Is everything alright? And um, more importantly, how’d you get this number?” I have to ask because it’s not listed and I don’t give my private number to my clients so this whole turn of events is a bit blurry.

“Your assistant... Zhu Lei-“

“Zhu Li.”

“Yeah, her. She gave it to me.”

“Oh.” I mumble and stare of in the darkness of the room. “Why?”

“I... Could we- Do you want to meet me for coffee tomorrow afternoon, say... five?”

Korra almost slurs the words and I take a moment. Or two. Or a whole bunch of moments to process what she’s said when she speaks again.

“H-hello, Miss- Asami, you there?” I hear a tapping on the other side, “Is this thing work-“

“I’m here.”  I mumble.

“Oh. So, um, d’you hear my question?”

“Yes, yes I did.” I know my voice is probably sounding cold and by the sharpened, fast breaths coming from the other side of the line I can tell Korra’s probably freaking out by now.

“S-so?” She mumbles again and a smile spreads across my lips. “I- I know this must be really weird for you and I get it, I really do and I wanna explain myself and all that but I really wanna go for coffee with you because I really want to and could we ju-“

“I’d love to.”

“What?”

“I’d love to go for coffee with you Korra. Five sounds great.”

“Ok then. Five it is.”

“Yup.”

“Ok. Well. Sleep well.”

“You too.”

“Sorry for waking you.”

“It’s alright.”

“Good night!”

“Good night!”

I hear the line go off and feel my phone slip out of my hand and fall on my lap. It’s buried in the covers and I can’t really feel it, I can’t actually feel anything right now.

Nothing but joy. A whole lot of confusion and pure joy.


End file.
